Vonage to Philippines...

[Mogambi 96]

Anyone here using Vonage to call the Philippines? Yesterday when I was at the local Filipino grocery store in my area, Vonage was set up near the entryway, and now for the $30 a month charge, they are including unlimited calls to Globe/TM, land or mobile, in the Philippines.

This might be a perfect solution, if the call quality is good. I'm using Ooma, and I have to pay a per minute charge, AND the quality is pretty crappy, lots of dropped calls, calls that never connect, etc.

Just looking for anyone using Vonage.

And yes, I know about Magic Jack, I'm looking for a solution so that my fiancé, who arrives tomorrow, could call back home to a variety of people, her siblings, friends, etc, most of whom don't have computers at home for something like Skype.

[CristiFur 15]

My parents just signed up for Vonage last month and have been using it to call families there. So far they have not complained but I don't know the quality as I have not tried it.

It's good to know that unlimited to the Philippines is happening, it was one of the reason they switched was that they were told Philippines was going to be added as one of the unlimited countries.

[Mogambi 96]

Yeah, and it's not any numbers in the Philippines, only Globe/TM, and I think it's a special only promo, you have to sign up for this, not sure it will just roll out to everyone on Vonage.

I have the website link somewhere here if anyone wants it.

But $30 a month to unlimited PH calls to Globe/TM (most everyone has a Globe or TM SIM).

Not a bad deal if it works well.

[Grant PDX 183]

I have been using Vonage for calls to the Philippines for nearly 1 year. Even without the deal it has been $.09 per minute. I call multiple phone numbers as well, many to people without computers, so some other options just didn't work for me.

The call quality isn't bad. I don't think it's quite as clear as a "normal" landline, but it hasn't been bad. They've worked out some technical issues I've had (many calls used to drop at exactly the 5 minute mark, but that problem has been reduced or eliminated).

One bonus to the Vonage service is that you can designate another number as an "extension" and use your Vonage service from that other number. In my case that means I've set my cell phone number up as an extension and I can use the $.09 per minute service to make calls from from my cellphone. That has been a real money saver. I have a smart phone so with the app it's pretty simple to use. I don't have to be home to make the inexpensive phone calls (most US cell companies charge more than $.09 per minute).

If I can get the $30 per month unlimited I'll do it in a heartbeat. I have gone significantly over the 5 1/2 hour break even on a few occassions. With the unlimited service and the extension, use could go through the roof.

This is NOT a paid advertisement, I've just been very happy with the service. I also have a MagicJack in use in the Philippines, but that is pretty reliant on clear internet on the Philippines end, which can be sketchy. Given the costs, I'll continue to use both.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

http://ph.vonage.com/?refer_id=INWEBGN120711003W1&CMP=v_com_HomePage_Carousel_Globe

Not the best deal in the world, but considering that some don't have internet or a computer, it fills a void.

Another option is to get a US-based VOIP phone, send it over, and let them use it from there (provided they have internet). That way, you can call them from just about any cell service in the US for free (or monthly minutes, basically). I never used Vonage, but I was very happy with Packet 8 for a few years. However, their rates to the PI are not as good as Vonage right now.

[Mogambi 96]

Again you can't really compare something like Packet 8 with this. This is something I would buy here, and would enable my fiancé to call nearly anyone in the Philippines unlimited. That is HUGE, and it is by far (if it works) the best deal in the world, since there is no one else offering unlimited calls to the Philippines as far as I know. You can find some companies that will give you a single SIM card to give to them in the Ph, but that is like Packet 8, or anything else, it would only allow you to call one person.

I think I might have to give this a try. For that price, $30 a month, the peace of mind of calling anyone anytime (well anyone with Globe or TM, but nearly everyone we know has a Globe or TM SIM Card).

Since there is no contract, I guess there really isn't that much to lose.

[Mogambi 96]

Hmm, this is interesting. On their page, they have a place to check whether a number is included. I keep entering my fiancés Globe mobile number, and it keeps saying that it's not a valid Globe number. In the example in the window, it shows 00+000-0000, except that mobile numbers would also be +000-000-0000, with three leading numbers, like 915 or 926, etc. Only if it was a landline would be two leading digits, like 02-000-0000

But it clearly states it should work for prepaid and postpaid Globe. But I wonder if it only works for landlines...

So now I'm confused. Tried two globe numbers, rejected them both.

Weird.

[jacabatic 5]

i use "youtelo"

check it out, google it, no pin required, easy to load and its pretty cheap.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Unfortunately, youtelo only works with PLDT. And at $40 per month, a tad costlier than Vonage.

I know what you mean about Packet 8 vs. Vonage, now that they have the $30 thing.

I just tried about 10 Globe numbers, all cell #s, and all were rejected. Weird. Don't know any Globe land line numbers, sorry.

[Samuel and Marvic 4]

I used Vonage for a single month and dropped it as quickly as I could. The call quality was horrid, unstable (I was easily disconnected from the call every 10 minutes like clockwork), and cost WAY too much for the calls. If you can, I recommend either getting a Magic Jack, Skype, or get a Globe Duo International number (assigns a virtual US number to any Globe cell phone). They're $25 and work off of your existing phone plan as if calling to another US number. I combine this with my annual Skype subscription and have saved tons with great phone quality (as good as you can get from long distance anyways).

[Mogambi 96]

I know about all the options like Magic Jack, Ooma, Skype, ObiTalk, Google Talk, all of them. What I'm talking about here is something totally different. This is a plan that let's the person based in the US call ANY number in the Philippines, not ONE number, as every single one of these other ideas would do! So thanks, but none of those other things do anything like what this Vonage plan would theoretically do, which is to allow my fiancé who is arriving today, an unlimited way to call anyone back in the Ph. This is HUGE if it works well, which is what I was curious about. And I know all of the calling cards too, but they are all per minute, and that is what I'm trying to avoid. So far Vonage is the only company I've seen with unlimited calling.

Since they don't have a contract to buy, I might give it a shot, and will report back how it works. For $30 a month, it allows a whole lot of international calling.

I'be been using Ooma, but it's .19 a minute to Ph, and the call quality hasn't be great. Lots of dropped calls, etc. I'm assuming Vonage might be the same way, but it might be worth a shot.

[X Factor 1,112]

Hmm, this is interesting. On their page, they have a place to check whether a number is included. I keep entering my fiancés Globe mobile number, and it keeps saying that it's not a valid Globe number. In the example in the window, it shows 00+000-0000, except that mobile numbers would also be +000-000-0000, with three leading numbers, like 915 or 926, etc. Only if it was a landline would be two leading digits, like 02-000-0000

But it clearly states it should work for prepaid and postpaid Globe. But I wonder if it only works for landlines...

So now I'm confused. Tried two globe numbers, rejected them both.

Weird.

Keep us updated if you can confirm that the numbers are accepted.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

As Mogambi says, this Vonage thing is a one-of-a-kind deal, and hopefully it works, and hopefully others will follow and competition will give us more options.

The problem with ANY internet based communication is that you are limited by the quality of service... Here in the US, it's typically pretty good. In the PI, not so good. So if one uses something like Magic Jack or Skype on the internet in the PI, then the call drops jump exponentially, in my experience. Heck, there are hours and sometimes days when the internet goes down at my wife's house in the PI, and nothing works.

When I was in Korea and using Packet 8 to call the US, it worked pretty well, since the internet service in Korea is about 5 times as fast and reliable as any in the US. But I have read that MANY experience dropped calls to the PI, and I don't think that has anything to do with the VOIP, it is simply that phone service in the PI is sketchy. Even when calling my fiance cell to cell, I could often not get thru, though we were on Skype, and she had the phone in her hand, not talking on it.... but on my end it would just ring and ring, with nothing on her end. And I remember the times she would tampo up on me because she called me like 10 times, but I never answered... and I didn't have a single missed call. Ahhhh, technology!

But I'm with ya, Mogambi, jump in and try the Vonage. At $30 (if no contract), it's not much of a loss if you don't like it and just quit. Be sure to report back here so folks know!

Personally, I pay about 17¢ or 19¢ per minute using Tel3, which is not great, but we only use it sparingly and for emergencies. Skype and FB are the primary means of commo at the moment, but of course that could change at any time.

[let-it-be 36]

Anyone here using Vonage to call the Philippines? Yesterday when I was at the local Filipino grocery store in my area, Vonage was set up near the entryway, and now for the $30 a month charge, they are including unlimited calls to Globe/TM, land or mobile, in the Philippines.

This might be a perfect solution, if the call quality is good. I'm using Ooma, and I have to pay a per minute charge, AND the quality is pretty crappy, lots of dropped calls, calls that never connect, etc.

Just looking for anyone using Vonage.

And yes, I know about Magic Jack, I'm looking for a solution so that my fiancé, who arrives tomorrow, could call back home to a variety of people, her siblings, friends, etc, most of whom don't have computers at home for something like Skype.

We've been using Vonage for 2 yrs now. It serves it's purpose of having a basic phone at home. The $30+ monthly bill sure beats that of the AT&T $60+. I will rate it as kinda "okay" service though. There were instances when making international calls were the quality is choppy/ not good and sometimes you don't hear each other. Local calls are good. Anyway, we barely use the phone so no big deal.

[calibob 73]

Just signed up for this service, you can call to any globe landline or cell phone for no extra charge per month. It has answered my prayers so we can communicate without worrying about the price. The recipient doesn't need a computer to receive.

Bob